Wednesday, September 9, 2015

BeeBop Circus: From Somersaults to Self-Confidence... and a Giveaway too!

Sticky post for 48 hours... scroll down for new blog entries!

Beebop Circus
Hi everyone!

I have been dying to share this review for the longest time... but decided to wait for the end of Ian's 12 week enrollment stint before blogging about it, so that I could give it a real solid appraisal that it deserves.

Beebop Circus is an enrichment center focused on development of children ages 1 to 7, adopting an integrated play-based thematic approach designed to develop children holistically, with a special focus on active bodies, soft skills, creative thinking, as well as morals and values. 

The first question that was on my mind (and I bet on yours too!) was... what is the difference between Beebop Circus and all the other kids' gyms that are mushrooming around the Klang Valley? Well for starters, Beebop Circus explores more than just movement; they also introduce rhythm sticks, maracas and other instruments, as well as stories and songs, all centered around a bi-weekly theme. Also, instead of just play, they are also more gymnastics oriented as they have specialized gymnastics equipment such as suspended rings, balance beam and even a zip line

Other than that, they also have a dedicated studio space for various dance classes such as creative dance, ballet and even hip hop to allow our living room leapers and bedroom ballerinas to express themselves through creative movement.


Come on in!

Cheerful, bright colours that can simply excite any child.

Testimonials from parents. Loveeee the bee corkboard tacks.

They also have a hugeeeee chalkboard near the entrance, for kids to doodle! This week is Occupation Day.

The very spacious class area. 

Ian had his first class at the end of April. During that first class, wow... he was such a handful. He got so fascinated with the colourful foam blocks, ball pit and play mats, that he kept running and tumbling all over the place without trepidation, refusing to follow the structured instructions from the teachers. By the end of the class, I was absolutely floored (minimal pun intended), just from chasing that cutie rascal!

I was really quite nervous about bringing Ian for his subsequent classes. However, the teachers were very supportive about allowing Ian to develop at his own pace. Unlike Aiden, Ian had no qualms about climbing foam blocks or crawling through tunnels. He did though, have a slight fear of balancing on a suspended 'bridge' and rocking forwards on the gym ball. Progressively, I was able to coax him into trying it out and building his self-confidence. With patience, the teachers also managed to persuade him to listen to instructions, such as sitting on the tumble mat to sing songs (instead of running off to explore the room!) and caring for toys by returning musical instruments into a basket. As each success builds off from the last, I was able to see noticeable improvements in his agility, core strength and self-confidence just after a few classes!

Anyway, here are pictures from his most recent class. It was Camping Day!

(Since I wanted to take photos to feature in this blogpost and I do not like publicizing photos of Ian's peers without their parents' permission, I requested for this session to be a private class. Usually, a class would consist of 4-5 children, which also helps Ian's social skills as he develops relationship with his peers.) 

Classes usually start with a circle time, which is a warm up session on the tumble mats. Buzzy Bee - Beebop Circus' mascot usually makes an appearance too!

Giving Buzzy Bee a hug!

Free play - dancing to the upbeat music. This is sensory learning through music and stimulating movements.

Next up, supervised play. Ian aces this climbing bit, no problem.

But he usually stalls when going down. After a lot of encouragement and help, he would gingerly sit and slide himself down.

Walking on the 'suspended bridge'! He usually needs help with this. This activity allows Ian to face his fears of heights and shaky structures.

Whooooosh... sliding down on a carpet! Sometimes, some gymnastic tumbling is introduced such as an assisted forward roll.

Ian loves going on the balance beam.

He's so confident, he's walking without even looking in front!

Crawling through a tunnel. This activity helps kids build confidence and independence in enclosed spaces.

His teacher trying to show Aiden how to hold a tambourine. But Ian being Ian, he insisted on holding it his way!

Cultivating courage of being in small spaces by coaxing Ian to climb into a 'tent' and then picking up foam letters.

Ian listening to instructions. Match the foam letters to make up the words "Fun Camp"! 

This activity exposes Ian to alphabets, colour recognition and block matching using his fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Teacher showing Ian how to place his feet in between the rungs (instead of on the bar)!

Anddddd... this is Ian's favourite activity. Hanging off the high bar! This activity improves his arm, core strength and grip. Can you believe he has started replicating this at home using our kitchen table??!! *chuckles*

Bubble time! This activity improves focus and concentration. It also improves his hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills, as he tries to 'pop' the bubbles.

Parachute time. This addresses the very common fear of the dark and allows little ones to grow comfortable in a somewhat darker area through play. As you can see, Ian really enjoyed our singing session in the dark!

Musical play with the maracas. 

At the end of each class, Ian will get a bee chop as a reward. He loves showing off his chop too, constantly looking and pointing to it!

Try It For Yourself!

Here's an opportunity for you to try it out for yourself. BeeBop Circus has graciously offered all (I repeat ALL!) readers of Lizzieasamummy, one free trial class at their gym in The School, Jaya One. If you decide to sign up after the trial, your child will also receive a complimentary reward chart with a full set of shiny star stickers! (Just don't forget to mention that you were referred by Lizzieasamummy!)

Since Beebop Circus truly understands that every child is different and there's a different need for each child and family; they will work with your child's individual comfort level and interests to ensure that they are enrolled in a class they enjoy with just the right amount of challenge to help them grow. Contact them to find out which class suits your precious one best.

By the way, Beebop Circus has been awarded as Best Active Curriculum by BabyTalk magazine, in the latest August issue! Congratulations!

Oh... and I saved the best for last. BeeBop Circus is also offering ONE lucky reader, a one-month enrollment (worth RM320) in their parent-child programme (suitable for children ages 1 to 3). As usual, just leave a comment below, and one winner will be chosen at random.


Do you need a piece of chalk to write your comments? *grin*

Beebop Circus
Unit 019 & 021, Upper First Floor,
The School, Jaya One,
No.72A Jalan University, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
T: +603 7492 4567
W: http://www.beebopcircus.com/


Disclosure: I received a free product for review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This giveaway is sponsored by BeeBop Circus. Lizzieasamummy is not responsible for prize shipment or fulfillment.

20 comments:

  1. This looks fun. Hope I'll win it for my boy. Loved reading your blog post. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My son is the same age as Ian. This sure looks like fun! I'm sure he will enjoy the one-month free enrollment immensely!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Liz, I hope I win this! Looking for a suitable baby gym for my girl.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my! This look super duper fun. Surely find a time to take the twin for a tryout. Thanks for sharing ur experience Lizzie.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing Lizzie. If it meets your standard, I'm sure this place Beebop Circus is great! Will check out their website next. Hope can bring my 2.5yrs old Qara there soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for sharing Lizzie. I'm sure if it meets your standard, Beebop Circus is surely a great gym! Will check out their website & hope can bring my 2.5yrs old girl to try it soon! U signed up for a 12x package?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Prisca, yes Beebop Circus is the best! Ian is currently signed up for their 10x class package. ;)

      Delete
  7. I have to win this! I have a two year old girl who cannot sit still and is so super active! She is not a regular girl but instead jumps, climbs, dives and terrorises little cats. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehehe... I laughed my head off at your last few words... my Ian loves to terrorize little cats too! :p

      Delete
  8. owh.. i want i want i want!! for my handsome 2 boys.. please please please..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks like a fun place. *fingers crossed*

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm really interested with your blogpost about beebopcircus... really hope that i am the lucky ready... Cause I can't afford to enroll my son with such activities. hope that my son and i will experience BeeBopCircus soon... tq liz :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Are there evening classes as well? I always wonder how parents manage to do all that...My boy would love this! He is 2 years old but not talking yet, so I hope he would start to talk more if he's with other people who don't understand his sign language. Haha..

    i.lyn.farhana@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Do they open on weekends and evenings too? I'm always amazed how a working mom can do all that! Anyway, my son would love this. He's two but not talking yet. I'm sure by exposing him to a new environment would encourage him to interact and talk talk talk!

    i.lyn.farhana@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooohhh as a working mum I need them to be open on weekends hehehe :) So yea, Ian goes to the weekend classes. Boys memang lambat sikit cakap. Ian pun still blabbers baby talk nowadays, and he's turning two in like 3 months!

      Delete
  13. a great place to have the children enjoying their moments ... wish they exist in my hometown

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Liz, Thank you for the review. I was just googling for gym classes for my toddler and came across your blog. Very informative, especially for a newbie like me :) Hopefully can have the opportunity to try out the 1 month enrollment class for the parent and child. Cheers~

    ReplyDelete
  15. Just came last week. Nice place

    ReplyDelete

Thank you in advance for leaving a comment. ;) All comments are moderated. Liz